"The pressure is on Anthony," Whittet said. "He literally can't make any mistakes in games. We're snakebit. We have to be a defensive-minded team first through sound defensive habits.

"Anthony's giving us a chance to win a championship in the ECAC. He's making saves that he should make and ones he shouldn't make. He's given us the ability to be in every game and that's all you can ask from a goaltender."

But entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Bears (10-11-6, 6-8-6 ECAC Hockey) have 18 points and sit in eighth place in ECAC Hockey with two games remaining.

If Whittet hadn't decided to put Borelli in net early in the season, Brown's chances of hosting a first-round playoff series — or possible earning a bye — would be slim and none. And slim already had departed for Texas.

In 19 games (16 starts), Borelli is 8-6-6 with a microscopic 1.68 goals against average that ranks fifth in the nation and a .947 save percentage that is second in the nation. He's also one of 16 semifinalists for the 61st Walter Brown Award, presented annually by the Gridiron Club of Boston to the best American-born college player in New England.